Posted on 06/09/2011 10:48:27 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
Gabrielle Giffords is nowhere close to returning to Congress. And there remains real doubt about whether she ever will.
That appears to be the bottom line of an article Thursday in the Arizona Republic that provides the most complete assessment yet of the wounded congresswoman’s current condition. Giffords was shot in the head by a gunman in Tucson in January. Now, six months later, she still struggles mightily to communicate, although her staff believes her comprehension skills are strong. And it remains unclear just how much damage her brain has suffered.
Asked for a blunt description of Giffords’ condition, her chief of staff, Pia Carusone, replied: "She's living. She's alive. But if she were to plateau today, and this was as far as she gets, it would not be nearly the quality of life she had before."
As to whether she resembles herself before the shooting, Carusone said, “There's no comparison. All that we can hope for is that she won't plateau today and that she'll keep going, and that when she does plateau, it will be at a place far away from here."
The news may be sobering, but it's not necessarily a surprise. The state of Giffords' health has been closely guarded information as early, hopeful accounts of her rapid physical and motor recovery yielded to more cautious -- and less frequent -- reports. She remains at a Houston rehabilitation facility while her staff manages her day-to-day congressional business.
........In the initial months after the shooting, as optimistic reports of Giffords’ recovery continued to surface, speculation arose that the moderate Democrat might make a run for the open U.S. Senate seat that will be vacated by the retiring Republican Jon Kyl....such a bid outside the realm of possibility -- at least for now.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
“Gabrielle Giffords is nowhere close to returning to Congress.”
AFAIK, she never left. Does the author mean she is not close to being able to fulfill her obligations to her constituents?
Focus specifically on those three HEAVILY hedged phrases, and you have to suspect that this woman is nearly a vegetable. Makes me wonder how these Dems live with themselves sometimes. Anyone recall Terri Schiavo? When it's one of their own, it doesn't matter.
Pray for this lady’s physical recovery.
Makes it even more sick that the Dems were floating stories that she had an Arizona Senate seat locked-up a couple of months ago.
How long can she keep her job while continuing to be unfit for duty?
I am truly sorry to hear about Giffords’ struggles. No one should have to go through what she did. However, the reporting of her condition just shows how in the tank the MSM is for the Dems. For months, we heard all kinds of stories about how “remarkable” her recovery was and how she was on track to come back to Congress. I’m sure in the backs of their minds the Lib reporters knew that if they reported that there was a snowball’s chance in Hell of her returning, it would mean a special election and perhaps another Republican seat. So we heard how she was doing well and even heard the MSM fantasies about her running for the Senate. None of it was close to the truth.
Politics aside, since so much of her recovery has been public, I wish that she, or her husband, had been willing to allow more detailed medial information to be released. We have so many troops who also suffer from traumatic head shots, that she could have been a becaon for their rehab.
That certainly seems to be the case.
So, what was it?
I wish the Congresswoman nothing but the best, but this was fairly clear from the very beginning. Good Lord, she is fortunate to be alive. She was the primary target of the deranged killer, and six other unfortunate people were killed dead, and others were injured, in the process.
I hope she recovers as much as humanly possible, and hope her and her husband are able to enjoy their time together in whatever capacity possible. Personally, I would love to see her triumphant return to her DC office and return to duty. I happened to walk by her office on capital hill a month or two ago, and it was a chilling moment to think how fragile each of our lives are. She probably walked out those doors just a few days before the shooting, fully expecting a return the following week.
The Democrat/Media coalition has been using this tragedy for political gain on so many occasions, including all but naming her the next Senator from Arizona. Pathetic.
How very caring and compassionate of you...
The deadline for her to file election papers for 2012 is next May. I doubt if she will.
Bingo.
They have been flat out carrying water for the DNC....there should have been a special election or appointment MONTHS ago...
Based on this report she should be running the DNC instead of Wasserman Schultz.
And six months later, I have yet to see a photo of how she looks.
Just reading between the lines, FRiend.
I am not a doctor, but I know what strokes due to people. After somebody suffers brain damage they are never the same again. Nervous tissue does not regenerate like other human tissue. I wish Giffords and her family the best.
It was pretty clear from the beginning that she wouldn’t be back. Based on the areas that were damaged (and destroyed) her function is probably minimal.
She’s alive but the Washington game is over. The Dems are all maneuvering to get their candidate into her spot.
Well, they know how she will vote.
See, when you are not there to vote, there is a a bit of cheating that goes on, where those who are there, vote for you. It's not really legal, but then it is mostly ignored by the Chair.
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